When I first saw the menu at a posh new restaurant in London, I couldn’t believe my eyes. What caught my attention – past the list of alluring cocktails like a rose petal and lychee martini, and drinks with interesting names like Glitterati, Boston Tea Party, Tantra and Loud Piercing Scream – was the nibbles side of the menu.

Called “world tapas,” the list included beef carpaccio with mixed baby greens, char-grilled Malay chicken skewers and – what was this? Right down there, just past the rare seared tuna and morsels of black pudding with quince aioli, was a tuna melt. Good old tuna melt – my dear, delicious, though much forgotten, lifelong friend.

There was a bit too much attitude going on in that room for a place that served tuna melts, so I finished my drink, bought a can or two of tuna and went home to spend time with my old pal.

I thought about how I seldom eat tuna melts these days, as I eat my way through far-flung places that offer dishes I have never tasted before, new flavor concoctions that thrill and stimulate.

I thought about tuna – how childhood tuna salad had given way to silky tuna tartare in the style department, how salade nicoise now boasted a big slab of grilled fresh tuna instead of preserved canned or jarred tuna, and how I didn’t like this change one tiny bit.

I love tuna in a can. Fueled by time spent in Italy and Spain, I already held canned, preserved and jarred tuna in high esteem. As a precious commodity, fished for with great tradition and respect, preserved in good olive oil, tender and briny and delish, it is magnificent eaten straight from the jar with a fork.

But drained of its oil and mixed with a little mayonnaise and flavorings, conserved tuna became my culinary idol, an unsung hero in my kitchen.

Everyone makes tuna salad, but not everyone makes it deliciously – and that includes restaurants. A good tuna salad needs mayonnaise – real mayonnaise, not reduced-fat mayo. And it needs the right amount.

Everyone has their own way of making tuna. I am sure almost everyone reading this at this moment is thinking: Oh, yes, pickle relish – you can’t make tuna salad without pickle relish. Or hard-boiled eggs, or water chestnuts.

My own tuna salad has evolved from my salads of childhood. I don’t like everything under the sun added to my tuna salad. I do like a little bit of crunch, but I
get that from onion – red, white or green – and celery. Also, I want a dab of mustard – a modest dab, you don’t even know it has been added – and capers if, like me, you love capers.

The capers came from my stepdaughter, Gretchen, who also lured me into adding fresh dill instead of parsley, for the most delectable tuna salad ever. The important thing is that tuna salad shouldn’t be loose or sloppy. If you make it the day before, it will turn a bit watery from added vegetables. When you retrieve it, pour off the excess liquid that gathers around the edge or on top and then taste for seasoning before you serve.

And while I love a nice plump tuna sandwich, with a layering of salad and maybe another of onions, pickle, tomato – deli style, on rye or whole wheat – I also love a demure little finger-size tuna sandwich like the one I had recently at the Lanesborough in London.

My “Royal Tea” included champagne with flecks of gold floating in it, and tiny finger sandwiches filled with thinly sliced, salted silky cucumber and a layer of delicious tuna; no crusts, of course!

And for a change, if you’re not in the mood for dill, I recommend a tuna melt made with red pepper mayonnaise. Inspired by tuna I ate in Spain, which had been conserved with roasted red peppers, it tastes nothing like the 1960s and everything like the delicious Mediterranean treat it is.

To assemble and broil: Top each bread slice with layer of avocado slices and thick layer of tuna salad. Gently layer cheese over that. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Broil until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

To assemble: Spread tuna salad on unbuttered sides 4 slices of bread. Arrange slices of cheese on other 4 unbuttered slices of bread. Put them together so tuna and cheese are pushed against each other into compact filling for sandwich.

To cook: Heat nonstick frying pan, large enough to accommodate 2 or 4 sandwiches at a time, or sandwich press. (Note: If using frying pan, add sandwiches when the pan is medium-hot, then place a weight, such as a heavy frying pan on top of sandwiches.) Cook sandwiches over medium-low heat or in sandwich press until the bottom of bread is golden, crisp and lightly browned. Remove pan and weight. Turn sandwich over. Repeat with second side, browning and weighting, until second side is crisp and golden.

To serve: Serve hot right away, cutting each sandwich into halves or quarters, and delighting in the cheese as it oozes out.

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